14 minute read
Event Recap
Technology Drives Construction Revolution
Big Project ME recaps the discussions and presentations from the Digital Construction Summit, which took place on September 14, 2022, at the Anantara Downtown Dubai Hotel in Business Bay, Dubai
Big Project Middle East’s inaugural Digital Construction Summit was held on September 14, 2022, at the Anantara Downtown
Dubai Hotel, and saw attendance from several key personalities and decision makers from regional entities including the
Dubai Municipality, Miral Asset
Management, and many others.
The one-day event, which ran from 9am to 5pm, recorded more than 230 delegates in attendance over the course of the day.
The summit comprised of five panel discussions, eight presentations, and an exclusive Dubai Municipalityled workshop on 3D Concrete Printing. Also included was an interactive exhibition space and networking activities.
Conceived as an evolution of the highly successfully Middle East BIM Summit, which first launched in 2015, the Digital Construction Summit was endorsed by the Private Office of His Highness Sheikh Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum, as well as Dubai Municipality and buildingSMART UAE.
The summit was also supported by the likes of: Gold Sponsor: ASGC; Silver Sponsors: ASITE, The SNC-Lavalin Group, Topcon; Bronze Sponsors: AECOM, AESG, CUPIX, JT+Partners, Kairnial, KEO, ZOHO; Technical Partner: Bentley, ECC, OpenSpace; Exhibitor: Plan Radar; and the event’s Knowledge Partner: BSI.
Following a welcome address by Gavin Davids, head of Editorial and Content for Big Project ME, the Digital Construction Summit was launched by a keynote speech from Joe Tabet, managing director of JY + Partners, where he made the case for the uptake of digitalisation in construction, and asked the audience to consider the beneficial impact of technology on the industry, now and in the future.
ENDORSED BY ENDORSED BY ENDORSED BY GOLD SPONSOR SILVER SPONSOR
SILVER SPONSOR SILVER SPONSOR BRONZE SPONSOR BRONZE SPONSOR BRONZE SPONSOR
BRONZE SPONSOR
TECHNICAL SPONSOR BRONZE SPONSOR
TECHNICAL SPONSOR BRONZE SPONSOR
EXHIBITOR BRONZE SPONSOR
KNOWLEDGE PARTNER TECHNICAL SPONSOR
PRESENTED BY
Session One Recap: Embracing Change − Why the Built Environment must increase Digitalisation
Picking up this theme was the first panel of the day, ‘Embracing Change: Why the Built Environment must increase Digitalisation’. Led by Carolina Fong Guzzy, cofounder and digital engineering manager, at Accienta this panel featured Christopher Stock, BIM Operation head at Dewan Architects + Engineers; Anas Ayoub, founder and director of Digital Construction at XD House; Andrew Butterfield, managing director, Global Built Environment for BSI; Juan Tena Florez, regional digital design manager; and Andy Boutle, head of Digital Construction at ALEC.
“Some of the main key takeaways discussed were the increase in the pace of digitalisation in the construction industry. Specially during the last couple of years and influenced by the restrictions from the pandemic and more openness for remote collaboration and flexible work environments,” Guzzy said.
“Also, because of the rapid evolution of technology, there is an unprecedented skills gaps in the industry globally which needs to be addressed with different training, hiring and upskilling strategies both at the individual and corporate level.”
She added that one of the insights from the panel included a key point from Butterfield, who spoke about the need to focus on the ‘Three P’s: People, Processes and Platform’. Guzzy highlighted the importance of remembering this, especially at a time when the appetite for innovation was surpassing the need for innovation.
The panellists also touched on the deployment of emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, Digital Twins, Blockchain, and the Metaverse, with Christopher Stock pointing out the need to have the buyin of key executives when promoting new technologies and applications to promote change.
Following the panel discussion, Sam Badrah presented for OpenSpace about how 360 Reality Capture is transforming Construction, and showcasing his company’s technology offerings.
He was then followed by Tamer Elgohari from ASGC, who revealed how the master contractor was leading the way in innovation in construction, and how it has integrated a myriad of technologies into its project workflows.
The second session of the day was kicked off by a panel discussion led by Mohammad Al Ktaishat, Digital Project Delivery lead for Civil Infrastructure for AECOM Middle East and Africa.
Focusing on ‘What Digitalisation means for Asset Management’, Ktaishat was joined by Vinod Kumar, technology director at EAST-O Holdings; Tharun Thomas, senior commercial manager at ENGIE Solutions Middle East; Rohan Chandavarkar, associate – Digital Delivery at AESG; Wajdi Mereb, Digital Construction and Digital Twin expert at Miral Asset Management; Chris Smeaton, Digital lead, InSite; and Ash Toma, Asset Management regional director at Atkins, a member of SNC Lavalin Group.
“The Digital Construction Summit 2022 certainly succeeded in bringing together the bright minds of the construction industry to tackle obstacles head on in the industry, and providing the entire supply chain the slot of making an innovative and digital difference,” Ktaishat told Big Project ME.
“We managed to bring to surface different challenges and mitigations in the space of digitalisation to help spread the awareness to asset owners and the rest of the supply chain on the importance of digital and its role in shaping the future of assets, if not the very day to day activities we do in those assets.
“Whether users, owners, consultants, or contractors, digital and structured information management is the key to the successful transformation we all hope for in the industry.
“With today’s technology, information about almost anything is just at the tip of our fingers, and it is our responsibility to decide how do we use the data for enhancing assets through their life cycle, which in turn results in a happier standard of living,” he stated.
Continuing on with the theme of Asset Management, Rasha Abed from ASite, shared a presentation with the audience about how data can turn a building into a living, breathing asset, while also sharing insights into helping to future-proof a project and integrate resilience into operations, with the audience.
After a networking break, the Digital Construction Summit resumed with a keynote presentation by Dean Jagoe, senior consultant – Water Utilities at Bentley Systems. He spoke about Water Infrastructure Digital Twins, highlighting how the technology is proving to be the catalyst for transforming water systems around the world.
During the presentation, he shared with delegates insights into how digital twins can be utilised for asset performance modelling and operations across a variety of water utilities systems, helping to reduce water losses and energy consumption, and improve emergency responses.
Jagoe then joined Omar Ahmed, senior BIM coordinator at China State Construction Engineering Corporation Middle East; Ibrahim Atta-Apau, director, Global Services at Atkins – a member of the SNC Lavalin Group; and Vanesa Fernandez Membrillera, management and commercial manager Middle East for ACCIONA, for a discussion about ‘Solving the Challenges facing the Water Industry through the Digital Twin’.
Leading this panel discussion was Umar Kazi, Utilities director at AECOM Middle East.
Commenting on the water sector and the potential benefits of digital twins, Umar Kazi, Utilities Director at AECOM Middle East remarked: “It was real pleasure to attend and moderate a panel on digital twin applications in the water sector. Water is a scarce resource, and the water industry faces multiple challenges to conserve this precious resource.
“From the panel discussion it was obvious that the sector can hugely benefit from digital twins in terms of asset management, design and reduction in operational costs. Digital twins can also support the water sector to become more sustainable by implementing smarter solutions.”
After a power-packed morning session, the Digital Construction Summit broke for a networking lunch break, where delegates were able to discuss the morning’s topics and meet with the stars of the day – the speakers and presenters.
Session Four Recap: Entering the Metaverse − What does it mean for the Construction Sector
Following the lunch break, operations resumed with Mohammed Adib, chief design officer for Dewan Architects + Engineers, presenting about Babel 4.0, the firm’s own metaverse, which it intends to be a virtual space for members to meet and exchange ideas about design, through an ever-evolving sensory experience as Web3 technology becomes more sophisticated.
In the wake of Abid’s fascinating talk, Prakash Senghani, CEO and co-founder of Navatech Group, led a discussion about ‘Entering the Metaverse: What does it mean for the Construction Sector?’ Joined by Drew Gilbert, design manager at OBM International; Dr Mohammad Abdelghani, managing director of VeraValue Consulting Group; Firas Alsahin, design director at 4Space; Dr Harpreet Seth, head of Architecture, School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society at Heriot-Watt University Dubai; and Bhaskar Raman, regional business unit head at Omnix International, Senghani oversaw a debate about how the metaverse will shape the future of construction.
“The metaverse in general is a fairly unknown quantity to most, but it’s implication on the construction industry is even more nuanced. The panel of experts we gathered for the Digital Construction Summit demystified where and how the Metaverse will re-shape the way we design and manage construction,” he said.
“What was clear was that there is often confusion between the Metaverse and Digital Twins, although they are linked, they’re not the same thing. Digital twins are physical representations of real-world assets, often incorporating data from various sources to help understand and optimise how the assets behaves. The Metaverse can ingest Digital Twins, but they can also be made up of environments that are nothing like the physical world and are often designed to allow people to congregate, collaborate and co-exist in the digital world.
“Another area of agreement amongst the participants was that the process we currently use to design and build will change, for examples currently we create high resolution images of projects for selected viewpoints, in the Metaverse we will have to do this have every viewpoint. The challenges we face as we migrate to the metaverse were discussed – they are multitudinous; however, the biggest ones involve our people. The behavioural change required is enormous for an industry that sometimes struggles to get users to adopt smartphones. The skills required is another challenge that will take considerable effort and different approaches to recruitment to overcome.
“In conclusion the Metaverse has the potential to revolutionise the way we design, collaborate and work, but will require completely different approaches to realise these benefits,” Senghani asserted.
The conclusion of the Metaverse panel discussion marked the beginning of the fifth and final phase of the Digital Construction Summit – the Dubai Municipalityendorsed workshop focusing on 3D Concrete Printing.
Kicking things off for the workshop was a keynote speech from Aisha AlMulla, the head of Research and Building Section at Dubai Municipality, who laid out a comprehensive overview of the Municipality’s plans for the strategic implementation of 3D Concrete Printing in the emirate of Dubai.
Amongst the highlights of her speech was the showcasing of the World’s largest 3D Concrete Printed building, which was developed to showcase the viability of the technology and to prove to the construction sector that it could be done.
This project was also the focus of the day’s next presentation, which was by Kareem Farah, CEO of ECC, the contractor who worked with Dubai Municipality to deliver the project. In this case study, Farah shared insights into the journey undertaken by ECC and Dubai Municipality to deliver the project, highlighting the challenges faced and overcome, as well as the extensive research and testing that went into ensuring the structural integrity, and more, of the project.
The final element of the day was a panel discussion, once again led by Senghani, which focused on 3D Concrete Printing: The Opportunities in Construction. This high-powered panel discussed the huge potential of the technology and outlined how it could be combined with the ongoing digitalisation taking place across the sector.
Joining Senghani on the panel were: Jesús Sancho, Middle East managing director at ACCIONA; Edouard Baaklini, CEO of 3DVinci Creations; Dr Mustafa Batikha, Associate Director of Research, School of Energy, Geosciences, Infrastructure and Society / Heriot-Watt University Dubai; Benoit Meulewaeter, chief technology officer at Besix 3D; and Marwan Abdulnoor Aljanaahi, senior structural engineer from Dubai Municipality.
“The panel of 3D Printing experts represented a diverse cross-section of stakeholders, but there were a number of common themes when it came to the challenges of realising the promise of the technology. Firstly, there was consensus that 3D Printing can no longer be considered a nascent technology, there have been enough proofs of concepts locally and demonstrations of value globally that it now requires a shift to scale,” said Senghani.
“This shift requires collaboration between the various stakeholders present of the panel, government, academia, industry and technology vendors. All of these, especially the Dubai Government reiterated their commitment to seeing the technology flourish and extended their invitation for parties to come to them to collaborate. There were some probing questions from the audience relating to the openness and willingness of 3D Printing companies to share data, specifically mix designs.
“Other challenges highlighted by the panellist came in the form of a lack of knowledge about the advantages and limitations of 3D Printing amongst clients, often the technology providers are requested to bid on projects which have been designed to be built using traditional techniques and so are unfairly evaluated against them.
“Also, when tenders are submitted there is little or no feedback given, this means that the bidders do not know how they could have improved their offering. In summary, there was an agreement that there is a positive sentiment about 3D Printing, with the support of authorities like the Dubai Municipality, the Emirate is well placed to take advantage of this maturing technology,” he highlighted.
Following the conclusion of the summit, delegates were treated to a surprise prize-giving event, where sponsors Kranial and OpenSpace held a lucky dip with business cards collected at their respective exhibition stalls during the day, with two individuals receiving an iPad and a 360-degree camera respectively.
Following this, Big Project ME brought proceedings to a close as well, with a prize draw for delegates, awarding one attendee with the latest Apple iWatch.
Lynne Davidson, Regional Marketing Manager – India, Middle East & Africa at ASITE remarked: “This was another excellent event by the team at Big Project ME and CPI Trade Media.
“They succeeded in bringing the industry together to discuss all aspects of digitalisation and the opportunities this brings to the region. Data continues to be the driving force of this digital transformation and the event featured a number of insightful sessions about the need to capture and use this data more effectively.”
Watch the full day’s discussions online at: Watch the full day’s discussions online at:
https://meconstructionnews.com/live-events https://meconstructionnews.com/live-events
